Thumbs up, thumbs down

Cheers and jeers from Editorial staff

Thumbs up for Enuma Okafor and nine other top scholars honored at the City School District's Outstanding African-American Scholars Awards Ceremony this week. Enuma's 4.34 grade-point average is tops in the district among students of color. The other honorees all had averages of 4.0 or better.

Thumbs up for the City School District's ROCRead initiative, which continues during next week's recess. The program, which encourages students to read during school breaks, has been growing, in part due to support from sponsors like Wegmans, which provided some 16,000 $6 coupons for students who complete next week's reading.

Thumbs down for Buffalo developer Carl Paladino for his profane display of immaturity this week. In Albany for an anti-gun law rally, the former GOP gubernatorial candidate passed the glass-walled office of a columnist with whom he had a heated altercation during the 2010 campaign. Paladino offered a one-finger salute.

Thumbs up for Sarah Spry Hilliker, organizer of the annual Mend a Broken Heart Pub Crawl to raise awareness of heart disease and support Harbor House of Rochester. The fourth annual crawl took place on Feb. 9. The event has raised some $14,000 for Harbor House, a nonprofit that offers lodging and support for patients in times of crisis.

Thumbs up for Rochester's Peter Hahn/Jennifer Deas Memorial Committee for organizing its 16th annual Super Bowl Party for the Homeless this month. The event, held at the Harro East Ballroom, drew more than 200 guests, who shared good cheer, warm meals, live entertainment and the big game.

Thumbs down for Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, whose idea of an appropriate guest to invite to the State of the Union address was former rocker and current gun zealot Ted Nugent, who has directed threatening remarks toward the president. Nugent didn't distinguish himself in obscenity-laden post-address remarks. Stockman, who recently threatened to seek impeachment of Obama if he pursued stricter gun restrictions, is a little short in the distinguished category himself.

Thumbs up for Desiline Victor, the 102-year-old Florida woman who was cheered by President Obama during his State of the Union address for waiting more than three hours to vote last November. While many found her fortitude inspiring (House Speaker John Boehner left his seat for one of the few times of the evening to applaud), thumbs down to the class acts on Fox News' Kilmeade & Friends, who made sport of her story the following day.

Thumbs up for Twelve Corners Middle School sixth-graders in Katie Falter's class, who held a Book Exchange that donated more than 850 books to four schools and agencies in the Rochester area. Students donated gently read books, and even had a chance to "buy" books themselves with coupons they earned for their donations.

Thumbs down for Wayne LaPierre for resorting to racial overtones in a pro-gun screed on the Daily Caller website. The National Rifle Association frontman claimed Hispanic drug gangs are in every major American city and cited post-Hurricane Sandy looting in "south Brooklyn," where residents "better get back before dark, or you might not get home at all" as reasons Americans should buy more guns. The issue of guns warrants intelligent discussion. This isn't it.

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Thumbs up, thumbs down

City school students, pub-crawling fundraisers and a 102-year-old voter earn applause.

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